Six Manchester United players that Sir Alex Ferguson let go

Roy Keane undermined his manager's authority and was a loose cannon at the end of his Manchester United tenure. Photograph: Darren Walsh/Action Images

Paul McGrath

What caused rift?

Ferguson recognised how good a player McGrath was but the Irishman's alcoholism and chronic knee problems eventually exhausted his manager's patience. An attempt was made to persuade him to retire but McGrath refused and was sold to Aston Villa in 1989.

What happened next?

Flourished on a light training regime and played seven seasons for Villa, winning the League Cup twice, and in two World Cups for the Republic of Ireland.

Was Fergie right?

Yes. McGrath was a class act on the field but, as he reveals in his harrowing autobiography, was in constant turmoil off it. That summer Ferguson bought Gary Pallister to partner Steve Bruce and the two won three titles together.

Paul Ince

What caused rift?

Left with Andrei Kanchelskis and Mark Hughes in the summer of 1995, Ince's performances after Eric Cantona was suspended for kicking a Crystal Palace fan came under criticism from his manager as United's season fell apart and was blamed for Everton's victory in the FA Cup final.

What happened next?

Sold to Internazionale for £7.5m where he played well but won nothing – same as with Liverpool on his return here in 1997. Ferguson lambasted him in his autobiography for getting carried away and famously dubbed him a "fucking big time Charlie" on a TV documentary.

Was Fergie right?

Yes – their relationship had broken down and Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes were promoted, forming fine partnerships with Roy Keane that won the Double in 1996 and the league the year after.

Jaap Stam

What caused rift?

Stam won three titles and the Treble in his three seasons at United but was struggling to regain his pace after an achilles injury. That was Ferguson's excuse anyway but the allegations in Stam's autobiography, that Ferguson tapped him up while he was at PSV and his colourful description of the Neville brothers certainly played a part.

What happened next?

Ferguson got £16.5m for a 29-year-old centre-half from Lazio who went on to win cups but no titles there or at Milan and Ajax. He also served a five-month ban after testing positive for nandrolone.

Was Fergie right?

Maybe – it is the only one over which he has expressed regret. Probably sold him a year too early and replacing him with the 36-year-old Laurent Blanc did not work.

David Beckham

What caused rift?

Commercial activities and the tabloid hysteria over coverage of his private life was not to Ferguson's taste and, the manager felt, was beginning to affect his form. Accusing him of sloppiness after a 2-0 defeat by Arsenal, Ferguson kicked a boot across the dressing room that struck Beckham above the eyebrow in February 2003. The England captain somewhat ostentatiously paraded his scar thereafter.

What happened next?

Sold to Real Madrid for £24.5m in the summer of 2003, he won the league title in the last of his four seasons at the Bernabéu before moving to LA Galaxy.

Was Fergie right?

Yes – he managed to extract a huge fee from Real Madrid for a player whose lifestyle he could no longer stomach and replaced him with Cristiano Ronaldo for exactly half the fee Beckham brought in.

Roy Keane

What caused rift?

Keane's frustrations with a United in transition as José Mourinho's Chelsea dominated prompted him to criticise his team-mates for their performances in ever more damning fashion in autumn 2005 until Ferguson took exception to the midfielder's latest outburst, a scathing interview with MUTV, and suppressed it.

What happened next?

The captain had his contract paid up and was in effect sacked in November 2005. He joined Celtic in January, winning the SPL title before retiring with a hip injury in the summer.

Was Fergie right?

Yes – his authority had been undermined by his captain, who was behaving like a loose cannon and although he had given so much as a player he had little left to give.

Carlos Tevez

What caused rift?

The fee. A fan's favourite after impressing all with his work-rate during two years on loan, Ferguson said he wanted to sign him but was sceptical about the size of the fee demanded by his third-party owners, Media Sports Investments. Tevez said that United were not truly committed to him and said he was leaving at the end of the 2008-09 season.

What happened next?

Signed for Manchester City in a deal reports suggest was worth more than £45m to the company that owned his registration. He has scored 30 goals in 43 league games for City and was used as an icon for the Blues to mock the Reds.

Was Fergie right?

Maybe – the fee was opaque and exorbitant but some of the £80m they got for Cristiano Ronaldo weeks later would have covered it and left Ferguson with his most industrious forward.